Thiagarajan Kumararaja

“I like to be in that space, the same middle-class man. Otherwise, you become completely detached from reality.”

“The 'Mahabharata' is the best story ever. It makes you believe that impossible things can be made possible. There is magical realism.”

“Mostly, I am waiting. Got to finish the edit, I am waiting. Dubbing must get over, I am waiting. Waiting for shoot. Waiting for the set. When you are waiting, your mind isn't relaxed enough to watch a film.”

“I did not fix any genre for 'AK.' We just write a story and audience will put it in a genre as they perceive it.”

“If I have to name someone who is responsible for me coming to films, it is Ilayaraja's music. From a young age, I've been a huge fan of his music. Because of that, I studied Visual Communication.”

“There's nothing Vijay Sethupathi can't pull off, right?”

“The pleasure for me is in the writing process, which has its own challenges.”

“We seek festivals for two reasons - either to create buzz because it is a small film or to find unexplored markets outside India.”

“I'm a huge fan of Doordarshan, so my influences range from international to local.”

“Even if you come up with a conventional script, directors face several issues in convincing people to get on board.”

“We all make films to be hits.”

“I generally won't give importance to language barriers. If I feel an actor will fit into the role I will approach.”

“If the film succeeds at the box office it is a commercial film. Otherwise it isn't.”

“When I write a story or think of a scene, I always play some song in the background. Sometimes when I don't add a song at the writing stage, I do it while editing the film.”

“Aaranya Kaandam' is not the biography or history of a gangster but a page out of the life of a gangster. It is like a day in his life.”

“I like strong women. Strong women characters have always existed in the movies of directors such as K. Balachander and Mani Ratnam.”

“I like films and I have been watching films from a young age. So, making films happened to be a natural progression.”

“I am inspired by Indian mythology.”

“It is up to the directors to take risks in telling a story and if they want to experiment, they should work with the right kind of people.”

“I go for actors who do precisely what is expected of them.”